The results of the research have shown the attitude of Bangkok University students
toward an online English class via WebEx system. The level of their attitudes toward
WebEx system in general was moderate.
The main reason why the students liked this onli
ne learning was because it allowed them
to learn from anywhere. Also, its interactive dimension gave students new learning
experiences. However, when they were asked whether they preferred an online class to
a normal class, it seemed that they preferred s
tudying English in a normal classroom.
They still believed that in
-
class learning is more fun and effective.
It might be concluded that they may not get sufficient knowledge about online learning.
It may be partly caused by the university’s urgent poli
cy to resolve the problems on lack
of classrooms during the flood crisis. We did not have enough time to prepare our
teaching material for online classes. Moreover, both students and teachers did not get
enough workshops on how to make the most of WebEx ap
plications. Teachers were
trained to use basic applications, but they had to learn to use other applications by
themselves in their own time.
Therefore, it is interesting to find out whether an English online class through WebEx
system will be more acce
pted by users in the future, especially in a normal circumstance
after the flood crisis.
The variables like gender, computer ownership and monthly allowance did not affect
students’ attitudes
toward WebEx. However, the finding revealed that students with
high computer aptitude expressed more positive attitude than those with low computer
aptitude. The computer aptitude includes hardware, software, internet and typing skills.
Consequently, online learners should be given proper instruction and training on t
hese
skills.
In the future, many educational institutions may hope to expand the use of WebEx
solutions in increasing the types of classes that can be offered to offsite students. Those
institutions can take the above information into consideration when p
reparing an online
course. They should keep in mind that
the quality of distance learning is based on the
instructor’s understanding of the needs of the students